April 25, 2015

Stolen Treasures Mysteriously and Anonymously Returned

By: Judge Arthur Tompkins

Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum, Wellington, New Zealand

A week ago, 14 Maori taonga [treasures], dating from the 1800s and which were in the care of a local resident in their home, were stolen during a house burglary of a rural property near to the Hawke's Bay town of Hastings, in the eastern part of the North Island of New Zealand.

The stolen pieces included a number of greenstone (the New Zealand
indigenous jade, also known as pounamu) ceremonial mere, including the
two shown here, a closely-related patu [club] made from whalebone, and a ceremonial adze with a pounamu blade.

"The
thieves will be aware of both of these things. We appeal to the people
who took these items to return them immediately so they can be cared
for by their proper guardians and remain in their turangawaewae[resting place]."

Yesterday, Friday NZ time, all the items taken were handed anonymously back to Te Papa Tongarewa. No other details of the return have been released, apart from the fact that the items were seemingly undamaged both during their theft and during their transport down to Wellington, the nation's capital.